The Evocative Power of Music

“The Invention of the Saxophone” is a celebration of this unique genre-crossing instrument and the music it creates. The poem opens by describing specific details that will evoke the instrument in the reader’s mind: “the serpentine shape, the single reed, / the fit of the fingers, / the upward tilt of the golden bell” (Lines 4-6). It’s not until the sixth stanza that the instrument is mentioned directly; instead, the poem relies on these textural and cultural images to establish its core idea. In the second stanza, the speaker begins describing the music that emanates from this instrument: “nocturnal” and “horny” (Lines 9, 10), a reference to its brass horn sound. Already a specific cultural tradition is being evoked that soon crystallises into jazz. This sound “summon[s] the insomniacs” (Line 14) with its persuasive power. Even though this scene takes place in the mid-...